EP3490720B1 - Kapillare zur verwendung in einem tröpfchengenerator - Google Patents

Kapillare zur verwendung in einem tröpfchengenerator Download PDF

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Publication number
EP3490720B1
EP3490720B1 EP17835197.9A EP17835197A EP3490720B1 EP 3490720 B1 EP3490720 B1 EP 3490720B1 EP 17835197 A EP17835197 A EP 17835197A EP 3490720 B1 EP3490720 B1 EP 3490720B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
capillary
end portion
inner diameter
aperture
diameter
Prior art date
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Active
Application number
EP17835197.9A
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English (en)
French (fr)
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EP3490720A4 (de
EP3490720A1 (de
Inventor
Robert ACUNA
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Molex LLC
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Molex LLC
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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
    • G03F7/00—Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
    • G03F7/70—Microphotolithographic exposure; Apparatus therefor
    • G03F7/70008—Production of exposure light, i.e. light sources
    • G03F7/70033—Production of exposure light, i.e. light sources by plasma extreme ultraviolet [EUV] sources
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • H05G—X-RAY TECHNIQUE
    • H05G2/00—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for producing X-rays, not involving X-ray tubes, e.g. involving generation of a plasma
    • H05G2/001—X-ray radiation generated from plasma
    • H05G2/003—X-ray radiation generated from plasma being produced from a liquid or gas
    • H05G2/006—X-ray radiation generated from plasma being produced from a liquid or gas details of the ejection system, e.g. constructional details of the nozzle

Definitions

  • the present disclosure is related to the field of capillaries, more specifically to the field of capillaries suitable for use in droplet generators, which droplet generators are suitable for use in lithographic systems.
  • droplet generators generally include a capillary.
  • the capillary is generally a tube-like structure having a nozzle at a first end portion thereof, and which is in fluid communication with a reservoir of molten material at an opposite, second end portion.
  • the molten material in the reservoir flows into the second end portion of the capillary and toward the nozzle, and the nozzle generates the formation of droplets of molten material.
  • the capillary is formed of glass and has the following approximate dimensions: length of approximately 15-50 millimeters, inner diameter of approximately 0.5 to 0.7 millimeters, and wall thickness of approximately 0.15 to 0.25 millimeters.
  • These types of capillaries have suffered from a number of issues. For example, under increased pressures, the capillaries (and thus the droplet generators) may be subject to undesired movement with respect to the reservoir. While attempts have been made to design capillaries that overcome this and other issues, no acceptable solution has yet been provided, primarily due to the extremely small size of the capillary and the specific material used to form same. Consequentially, further improvements to the design of capillaries for droplet generators would be appreciated by certain individuals.
  • the document US 6324256 B1 discloses a laser-plasma EUV radiation source, that generates larger liquid droplet for the plasma target material.
  • the document US 2004/0094606 A1 discloses a bonding tool for bonding a fine wire to bonding pads having a very fine pitch. The bonding tool comprises a working tip at an end.
  • WO 2012/100205 A2 discloses a piezoelectric dispenser with a longitudinal transducer and replaceable capillary tube.
  • US 2009/0230326 A1 discloses a system for target material delivery in a laser produced plasma EUV light source.
  • a capillary includes a main portion with a first aperture and an end portion that is enlarged with a second aperture.
  • the end portion acts as a stop to aid in retaining the capillary in a desired position under increased pressures.
  • the second aperture can be a uniquely sized/shaped aperture for receiving molten material therein and can have funnel characteristics
  • the entire capillary, including the end portion is formed as a single piece of material, which is preferably a manufactured glass, such as quartz, and more preferably fused silica.
  • the second aperture tapers from a larger inner diameter to a smaller inner diameter.
  • the second aperture joins to the first aperture and thus allows the smaller inner diameter to join with an inner diameter of the first aperture.
  • FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a capillary 20.
  • the capillary 20 has first and second opposite ends 22, 24.
  • the capillary 20 has a main portion 26 (which is sometime referred to as ferrule) and an end portion 28 that is enlarged.
  • the main portion 26 extends from the first end 22 to the end portion 28 and the end portion 28 extends from the main portion 26 to the second end 24.
  • the main and end portions 26, 28 are integrally formed, such that the capillary is monolithic and the material used to form the capillary 20 is continuous throughout the main and end portions 26, 28.
  • the material used to form the capillary 20 is a manufactured glass, preferably quartz, and more preferably fused silica.
  • the main portion 26 of the capillary 20 is an elongated tube-like structure, having an outer cylindrical wall 30 having a diameter OD1 and an inner cylindrical wall 32 having a diameter ID1.
  • the inner cylindrical wall 32 defines an aperture 34 of the main portion 26 of the capillary 20.
  • the inner cylindrical wall 32 may be formed with a nozzle (not shown) proximate to the first end 22.
  • Diameter ID1 of the inner cylindrical wall 312 is preferably in the range of 0.001 mm to 10.0 mm.
  • the end portion 28 (or inlet flare) of the capillary 20 is flared/knobbed such that an outer wall 36 of the end portion 28 has a diameter OD2 at the second end 24 that is larger than the diameter OD1 of the main portion 26.
  • the diameter OD2 can be as large as ten times the diameter OD1.
  • the outer wall 36 of the end portion 28 is curved, such that the outer wall 36 of the end portion 28 takes on a generally semi-spherical configuration, although it is to be understood that the outer wall 36 of the end portion 28 could have any other suitable configuration, such as, for example, an angled configuration, a square configuration, an oval configuration, or a triangular configuration.
  • the end portion 28 of the capillary 20 further defines an inner wall 38.
  • the inner wall 38 defines an aperture 40 of the end portion 28 which is in communication with the aperture 34 of the main portion 26.
  • the inner wall 38 is preferably conical in configuration and thus tapers from a wider opening to a narrower opening. While the depicted configuration has a linear taper it is to be understood that the inner wall 38 of the end portion 28 could have any other suitable configuration, such as, for example, a curved configuration.
  • the inner wall 38 of the end portion 28 has a diameter ID2' at the second end 24 of the capillary 20.
  • the diameter ID2' is larger than the diameter ID1 of the main portion 26.
  • the inner wall 38 of the end portion 28 has a diameter ID2" where the aperture 40 meets the aperture 34.
  • Diameter ID2' is greater than diameter ID2"
  • the diameter ID2" is larger than the diameter ID1 of the main portion 26, such that the shoulder 42 is provided as part of the aperture 40.
  • the minimum diameter ID2" can be of any diameter to create the aperture 40 that is separate from the outer wall 36 of the end portion 28. As best illustrated in FIG.
  • the location where the inner walls 32, 38 are joined may be off-set as compared to the location where the outer walls 30, 36 are joined, with the location where the inner walls 32, 38 are joined is positioned closer to the first end 22 and the location where the outer walls 30, 36 are joined is positioned closer to the second end 24.
  • the general boundaries of the first and end portions 26, 28 as defined herein are not exact.
  • a wall thickness T1 of the main portion 26 (the distance between the diameter OD1 and the diameter ID1) is less than or equal to a wall thickness T2 of the end portion 28 at the second end 24 (the distance between the diameter OD2 and the diameter ID2'). Furthermore, in a preferred embodiment, the wall thickness T1 of the main portion 26 is always less than or equal to the wall thickness T2 of the end portion 28 along an entire length of the end portion 28 to provide additional structure support. As can be appreciated from FIG. 1 , the aperture 34 is substantially longer than the aperture 40 and while no precise value is required, the aperture is generally expected to be at least four times longer than the aperture 40.
  • the capillary 20 is preferably provided as a part of a droplet generator 60.
  • the droplet generator 60 may include an actuator 62 which surrounds a part (preferably a part of the main portion 26) of the capillary 20 and a controller 64 which is connected to the actuator 62.
  • the controller 64 controls the actuator 62 according to a driving frequency.
  • the general structure and function of the actuator 62 and controller 64 are described and illustrated in United States Patent Publication No. US 2015/0293456 A1 .
  • the capillary 20 of the droplet generator 60 is preferably secured in place relative to a reservoir 82 formed as a part of a lithographic apparatus 80.
  • the reservoir 82 is configured to house molten material therein.
  • the aperture 40 of the end portion 28 of the capillary 20 is in communication with the reservoir 82 such that molten material from within the reservoir 82 can flow into the aperture 40 of the end portion 28 of the capillary 20 and, thereafter, flow into the aperture 34 of the main portion 26 of the capillary 20 and, thereafter, flow/drip/drop out of the aperture 34 of the main portion 26 of the capillary 20 at the first end 22 thereof to form the desired droplets of molten material.
  • the aperture 40 of the end portion 28 of the capillary 20 is generally funnel-shaped so as to aid in the flow of molten material into and through the capillary 20.
  • the capillary 20 may be secured in position in any manner desired, and the end portion 28 of the capillary 20 is sized and configured to aid in the stability of the capillary 20 in its connection to the lithographic apparatus 80.
  • the end portion 28 of the capillary 20 may be positioned and secured within a stiff housing 84 of the lithographic apparatus 80 such that the aperture 34 of the end portion 28 of the capillary 20 is in communication with the reservoir 82.
  • the end portion 28 prevents, or at least substantially inhibits, push/pull out movement of the capillary 20 relative to the reservoir 82 when the capillary 20 is subject to an increased pressure.
  • the end portion 28 is essentially stopped from movement by a wall of the stiff housing 84. It is to be understood that, regardless of the specific configuration of the portion of the lithographic apparatus 80 that holds/secures the capillary 20 (and thus the droplet generator 60) in place relative to the reservoir 82, whether it be due to the stiff housing 84 or otherwise, the end portion 28 prevents/inhibits such movement.
  • the capillary 20 provides for numerous improvements over prior art capillaries. For instance, the capillary 20 is not formed with any weak areas due to the fusion or combination of multiple parts.
  • the internal geometry of the aperture 40 of the end portion 28 (which could also be referred to as the inlet) is expanded compared to prior art capillaries, thus allowing for a funnel characteristic in the final application.
  • the internal geometry of the aperture 40 of the end portion 28 is also expanded compared to prior art capillaries, resulting in a "female" mating end-face geometry that is beneficial for certain applications.
  • the internal geometry of the aperture 40 of the end portion 28 at diameter ID2" is controllable within a specification of ⁇ 0.025 millimeters, which is important for droplet pulse frequency specification.
  • the length of the internal diameter at the end portion 28 (which can be semi-sphere or knob shaped) to the main portion 26 can be specified.
  • the geometry of the internal diameter at the end portion to main portion is an internal wall structure for a ferrule body chamber. It should be noted that the end portion 28 can have various diameters and geometric shapes, and the internal diameter geometries of the walls that define ID2' and ID2" can be varied in both length and size.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Plasma & Fusion (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • X-Ray Techniques (AREA)
  • Apparatus Associated With Microorganisms And Enzymes (AREA)

Claims (9)

  1. Kapillare (20) zur Verwendung in einem Tröpfchengenerator eines lithographischen Systems, umfassend:
    - einen Hauptabschnitt, der eine längliche röhrenartige Form mit einem ersten Ende und (22) einem zweiten Ende (24) aufweist, wobei der Hauptabschnitt (26) eine äußere zylindrische Wand (30) aufweisend einen ersten Außendurchmesser (OD1) und eine innere zylindrische Wand (32) aufweist, die eine erste Öffnung (34) mit einem ersten Innendurchmesser (ID1) definiert; und
    - einen Endabschnitt (28), der an dem zweiten Ende positioniert ist, wobei der Endabschnitt eine Außenwand aufweist, die einen Durchmesser (OD2) definiert, der größer als der erste Außendurchmesser (OD1) ist, wobei der Endabschnitt eine zweite Öffnung (40) mit einem zweiten Innendurchmesser (ID2') aufweist, der sich zu einem dritten Innendurchmesser (ID2") hin verjüngt, wo die zweite Öffnung (40) mit der ersten Öffnung (34) verbunden ist, wodurch der kleinere Innendurchmesser mit dem Innendurchmesser (ID1) der ersten Öffnung (34) verbunden werden kann, wo der zweite Innendurchmesser (ID2') größer ist als sowohl der dritte Innendurchmesser (ID2") als auch der erste Innendurchmesser (ID1) und wobei die Kapillare auf eine einteilige Weise gebildet ist,
    wobei die Kapillare dadurch gekennzeichnet ist, dass
    der dritte Innendurchmesser (ID2") größer ist als der erste Innendurchmesser (ID1).
  2. Kapillare nach Anspruch 1, wobei die Verjüngung vom zweiten Innendurchmesser (ID2') zum dritten Innendurchmesser (ID1) linear ist.
  3. Kapillare nach Anspruch 1 oder 2, wobei der Endabschnitt eine halbkugelförmige Konfiguration aufweist.
  4. Kapillare nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 3, wobei die inneren und äußeren zylindrischen Wände eine Hauptabschnittsdicke (T1) definieren und der Endabschnitt eine Endabschnittsdicke aufweist, die durch seine Außenwand und die zweite Öffnung definiert ist, wobei die Endabschnittsdicke (T2) größer oder gleich der Hauptabschnittsdicke ist.
  5. Kapillare nach Anspruch 4, wobei die Dicke (T2) des Endabschnitts variiert und stets größer ist als die Dicke des Hauptabschnitts (T1).
  6. Kapillare nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 5, wobei die Kapillare aus einem einzigen Stück angefertigten Glases gebildet ist.
  7. Kapillare nach Anspruch 6, wobei das angefertigte Glas Quarz ist.
  8. Kapillare nach Anspruch 6, wobei das angefertigte Glas Quarzglas ist.
  9. Tröpfchengenerator, umfassend
    - eine Kapillare nach Anspruch 1;
    - einen Aktor, der einen Teil der Kapillare umgibt;
    - eine Steuereinheit, die mit dem Aktor verbunden und so konfiguriert ist, dass sie den Aktor gemäß einer vorbestimmten Antriebsfrequenz antreibt; und
    - einen Behälter, der mit der Kapillare in Verbindung steht.
EP17835197.9A 2016-07-26 2017-07-26 Kapillare zur verwendung in einem tröpfchengenerator Active EP3490720B1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US201662366847P 2016-07-26 2016-07-26
US201662394828P 2016-09-15 2016-09-15
PCT/US2017/043918 WO2018022738A1 (en) 2016-07-26 2017-07-26 Capillary for use in a droplet generator

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP3490720A1 EP3490720A1 (de) 2019-06-05
EP3490720A4 EP3490720A4 (de) 2020-04-01
EP3490720B1 true EP3490720B1 (de) 2021-06-16

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Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP17835197.9A Active EP3490720B1 (de) 2016-07-26 2017-07-26 Kapillare zur verwendung in einem tröpfchengenerator

Country Status (4)

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US (1) US10775701B2 (de)
EP (1) EP3490720B1 (de)
CN (1) CN109890514A (de)
WO (1) WO2018022738A1 (de)

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2018022738A1 (en) 2016-07-26 2018-02-01 Molex, Llc Capillary for use in a droplet generator

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6324256B1 (en) * 2000-08-23 2001-11-27 Trw Inc. Liquid sprays as the target for a laser-plasma extreme ultraviolet light source
US6910612B2 (en) * 2001-07-17 2005-06-28 Kulicke & Soffa Investments, Inc. Capillary with contained inner chamfer
JP2004226244A (ja) * 2003-01-23 2004-08-12 Ushio Inc 極端紫外光源および半導体露光装置
US7322507B2 (en) * 2005-01-17 2008-01-29 Amkor Technology, Inc. Transducer assembly, capillary and wire bonding method using the same
US7309167B2 (en) * 2005-02-22 2007-12-18 Innovaquartz Inc. High energy fiber terminations and methods
CN200982965Y (zh) * 2006-09-19 2007-11-28 上海科哲生化科技有限公司 一种点样针
US7872245B2 (en) * 2008-03-17 2011-01-18 Cymer, Inc. Systems and methods for target material delivery in a laser produced plasma EUV light source
US8969838B2 (en) * 2009-04-09 2015-03-03 Asml Netherlands B.V. Systems and methods for protecting an EUV light source chamber from high pressure source material leaks
WO2011150368A1 (en) 2010-05-28 2011-12-01 Arizona Board Of Regents Acting For And On Behalf Of Arziona State University Apparatus and methods for a gas dynamic virtual nozzle
US20130206857A1 (en) * 2011-01-21 2013-08-15 Biodot, Inc. Piezoelectric dispenser with a longitudinal transducer and replaceable capillary tube
US9068566B2 (en) * 2011-01-21 2015-06-30 Biodot, Inc. Piezoelectric dispenser with a longitudinal transducer and replaceable capillary tube
EP2745648B1 (de) * 2011-08-05 2016-01-20 ASML Netherlands B.V. Strahlungsquelle und verfahren für eine lithografische vorrichtung sowie geräteherstellungsverfahren
US9321071B2 (en) 2012-09-28 2016-04-26 Amastan Technologies Llc High frequency uniform droplet maker and method
WO2014082811A1 (en) 2012-11-30 2014-06-05 Asml Netherlands B.V. Droplet generator, euv radiation source, lithographic apparatus, method for generating droplets and device manufacturing method
TWM486491U (zh) * 2014-01-28 2014-09-21 Taiwan Puritic Corp 噴孔片結構
CN104501482A (zh) * 2014-12-23 2015-04-08 合肥美的电冰箱有限公司 蒸发器组件和过渡管
WO2018022738A1 (en) 2016-07-26 2018-02-01 Molex, Llc Capillary for use in a droplet generator

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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Title
None *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO2018022738A1 (en) 2018-02-01
US20190163069A1 (en) 2019-05-30
EP3490720A4 (de) 2020-04-01
EP3490720A1 (de) 2019-06-05
CN109890514A (zh) 2019-06-14
US10775701B2 (en) 2020-09-15

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